The outpost was originally established as
La Misión Santa Clara de Thamien (or
Mission Santa Clara de Thamien, a reference to the Tamien people) at the Native American village of
So-co-is-u-ka (meaning "
Laurelwood", located on the
Guadalupe River) on January 12, 1777. There the Franciscan brothers erected a cross and shelter for worship to bring Christianity to the
Ohlone people. Floods, fires, and earthquakes damaged many of the early structures and forced relocation to higher ground.
The second site is known as Mission Santa Clara de Asís. A subsequent site of the mission dating from 1784 to 1819 is located several hundred yards west of the De La Cruz overpass of the
Caltrain track; moreover, several Native American burial sites have been discovered near this subsequent site. The current site, home to the first college in
Alta California, dates back to 1825. The six churches were built from 1777- present. Each one has been created and destroyed by different causes. Each church has been built with different materials and with different foundations. All showing how each church was unique. Initially, there was tension between the people of the mission and those in the nearby
Pueblo de San Josè over disputed ownership rights of land and water. The tension was relieved when a road,
the Alameda, was built by two hundred Native Americans to link the communities together. On Sundays, people from San Jose would come to the mission for services, until the building of
St. Joseph's Church in 1803. In that year, the mission of Santa Clara reported a Native American population of 1,271. In the same tabular report, its resident priest estimated that 10,000 cattle, 9,500 sheep, 730 horses, 35 mules, and 55 swine were on mission lands, while about 3,000 fanegas of grain (some each of wheat, barley or corn) had been harvested. After the
Mexican secularization act of 1833 most of the mission's land and livestock was sold off by Mexico. The mission land was subdivided, and the land sold to whoever could afford it which often meant it was sold to government officials and with half of the mission land going to Native Americans. Most of the buildings continued to be used as a parish church, unlike the other missions in California.. The local land near the mission had drastically changed in the 60 years of mission operation under the Spanish and many of the native plants needed for Native American survival were gone. Also this was Detrimental since the Native Americans relied on plants not only as a food supplement but also for medicine. There were 265 species of medicinal plants used by the people. After the missions period there was these were all altered after the missions. Requiring a change from the former lifestyle for many Native Americans. it is the only mission to become part of a university, and it is also the oldest university in California. Throughout the history of the mission, the bells have rung faithfully every evening, a promise made to King
Charles III of Spain when he sent the original bells to the mission in 1777. He asked that the bells be rung each evening at 8:30 in memory of those who had died, although the actual bells have since been replaced by a recording. The bell tower has three bells; one was donated by King Carlos IV but subsequently destroyed in a fire. King Alphonso XIII donated a replacement bell, which is on display in the de Saisset Museum (in the mission). In 1861, a new wooden façade with two bell towers was attached over the old
adobe front of the building. The interior was widened in 1885 to increase the seating capacity by removing the original adobe nave walls. A fire in 1925 destroyed the structure, including the surrounding wall. The church's parochial functions were transferred to the
Saint Clare Parish west of the campus. A rebuilt and restored Mission Santa Clara was consecrated in 1929, when it assumed its primary modern function as chapel and centerpiece of the university campus. It is open to visitors daily; the mission museum is located in the university's
De Saisset Museum. The original mission cemetery, still in use, is located on nearby Lincoln Street. == Santa Clara Mission Cemetery ==